Gen Z friends turned their shared pickle obsession on TikTok into a food startup now valued at Rs 81 crore

What started with two friends casually sharing pickle videos on TikTok has grown into a food business valued at $8.5 million, or approximately Rs 81.4 crore. University of Southern California graduates Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar turned their shared interest into a business idea in 2023, eventually leaving their jobs that summer to build a food brand together.

Marcus and Bakhtiar, who graduated from USC in 2022, began exchanging pickle-related videos on TikTok in 2023 as the food trend attracted growing attention online. The idea gradually moved beyond social media, prompting the pair to explore whether their shared interest could become a business.

Their company, Good Girl Snacks, launched its first product, Hot Girl Pickles, in February 2024. The Los Angeles-based startup initially sold directly to consumers through its own website before expanding into retail. According to CNBC Make It, the company was most recently valued at $8.5 million after securing a $3 million seed funding round.


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From pickle videos to Hot Girl Pickles

The founders initially built the business around a direct-to-consumer model, allowing customers to order Hot Girl Pickles through the company's website. Starting online gave Marcus and Bakhtiar an opportunity to gauge customer response before attempting to enter larger grocery chains.

The branding was also shaped by the language of social media. At the time, phrases such as "Hot Girl Walk" and "Girl Dinner" were widely used online, and the founders drew from that culture while developing the company's identity and product branding.

Good Girl Snacks said it wanted to approach the pickle category differently, including through new flavours and packaging designed to appeal to younger consumers.

Friends and LinkedIn contacts help founders navigate food business

Building a food company required the two founders to learn about areas beyond the product itself, including funding, operations and logistics.

They sought guidance from former USC classmates who had launched pasta sauce startup Sauz and also contacted industry professionals through LinkedIn. The pair initially raised an undisclosed amount from friends and family as they developed the company.

The early direct-sales strategy also allowed them to learn how customers responded to the product and use that experience before approaching larger retail businesses.

Erewhon and Whole Foods expand the startup’s reach

The founders eventually began looking beyond their own website and applied to sell Hot Girl Pickles through grocery retailers Erewhon and Whole Foods, despite Good Girl Snacks having been in operation for a relatively short time.

Both applications were approved in 2025, giving the startup access to established retail networks and significantly expanding where customers could purchase its products.

Hot Girl Pickles are now available both online and through retailers including Whole Foods Market and Erewhon. The company has also added grab-and-go pickle packets alongside its traditional jars.

Persian, Egyptian and Tunisian influences shape flavours

Marcus and Bakhtiar have incorporated elements of their backgrounds into the products as the brand has expanded. According to Good Girl Snacks, the founders have Persian, Egyptian and Tunisian influences in their backgrounds, which have informed some of the flavours developed by the company.

The approach has allowed the founders to combine the social-media-driven identity of the brand with influences from their own backgrounds while developing products within the pickle category.

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Founders now plan to move beyond pickles

Good Girl Snacks is no longer being developed solely as a pickle brand. Marcus and Bakhtiar plan to expand into additional snack categories and apply the same branding and marketing approach beyond pickles.

The founders' journey from sharing TikTok videos to developing a retail food business has involved building a product, testing it directly with consumers, securing retail placements and raising outside funding. The company most recently reached a valuation of $8.5 million after its $3 million seed round, according to CNBC Make It.